Studying History at University of Nottingham. George Studied Biology, History and EPQ and IFS at Sixth Form. 'I gained a lot from my time at the Sixth Form but going on to university has changed my life. I have been eager to share that experience with Thetford students to convey how capable they are of achieving their goals. The SU tested my critical thinking, social skills and personal skills every day. I had to believe in myself and my ability to work collaboratively; the experience has stayed with me and helped throughout my university journey.’ My Experience of the EPQ The EPQ was invaluable. It was the first time that I was fully accountable for my own learning and my own progress through a project. I had the opportunity to work on a topic that I was passionate about and undertake professional research. Research skills are key to almost all university degrees and my EPQ helped me to learn more about how I could do this effectively and also the individual techniques that worked best for me. The research skills, time management, self-discipline and motivation that I harnessed for the EPQ are skills that I use at university every single day. I also got to experience how it felt to face setbacks and problems during a project. My project took numerous different turns along the way and I learnt that perseverance and resilience are pivotal to succeeding academically and in all other walks of life. My Experience of Sixth Form Leadership Leading the SU meant I was responsible for its running and success. I learnt a lot about the best ways to communicate with a group and how to balance multiple commitments alongside my studies. The SU tested my critical thinking, social skills and personal skills every day. I had to believe in myself and my ability to work collaboratively; the experience has stayed with me and helped throughout my university journey. I became more confident and adaptable after working in the SU. I also had the experience of working with local charities and speaking publicly on kindness, individuality, trauma and perseverance. My outlook and perspective was broadened because of this experience and I believe it has helped shape who I am as both a student and a person. Plans for the Future I plan on using my degree in some form of education. I would love a career in History academia and lecturing and am considering completing a Masters degree after graduating. History has been a brilliant degree choice as it has opened my eyes to the world around me and helped me to think critically. I hope to be put in a position where I can use my historical knowledge and skills to improve the lives of those around me and change the way people interact with the world. There is still so much work to be done on decolonising the school curriculum and uncovering previously marginalised stories - I hope to play a part in that.

“ The friends and memories I made in sixth form are unforgettable. Sixth form makes you feel more independent but in a good way when your responsibilities do not get too pressuring.The amount of support, both mental and academic, I received was amazing. I always felt comfortable asking my teachers for help and they never rejected me. I started to become more confident in my learning abilities, scientific and mathematical skills. Sixth form helped me to identify my weaknesses and how to work on them.” My Experience of Sixth Form as an EAL Student One of the main challenges that I have been facing during my first year of university is independent study. Whenever I struggled with understanding the content I had to do all the additional research myself. I am not saying that professors and lectures do not provide any support but it is very minimal. I think this is the main difference from sixth form. The amount of support, both mental and academic, I received was amazing. I always felt comfortable asking my teachers for help and they never rejected me. I stayed after school and always bothered my teachers during free periods if I was not sure about some topics. My main advice is don't be afraid to stay at the end of the day and ask questions. Do it now as you may not have this privilege ever again! My Personal Development - Being an Effective Learner I lived my whole life strongly disliking Chemistry. I could never imagine myself choosing it as my future career. I changed my mind when I came to Sixth form because Chemistry did not seem boring and daunting anymore. I started to become more confident in my learning abilities, scientific and mathematical skills. Sixth form helped me to identify my weaknesses and how to work on them, for example, I was lacking attention to detail as I did my work too quickly. But I learned not to rush and to check my work after completion. My Sixth Form Social Experience The friends and memories I made at sixth form are unforgettable. Sixth form makes you feel more independent but in a good way when your responsibilities do not get too pressuring. It might be your last chance to feel relieved before you dive into the "adult" world. From my own and my friends' experience I can tell that sixth form could get very intense and overwhelming, perhaps even depressing. You start off feeling refreshed and ready for work but this mood dies off very quickly. It feels draining and the amount of content that you have to absorb is enormous. The good thing is that you are not the only one struggling. Everyone is in the same boat! I would like to say that if I had a chance to go back I definitely would. Please enjoy sixth form as much as you can and good luck!!!! Higher Education Guidance I was very worried when it came to writing my personal statement because, firstly, it was hard for me to look for a favorite topic to cover and secondly, I did not have any experience that could be relevant for my degree, to describe in my personal statement. However, the advisor that sixth form provided, Steven (Higher Education Champion - NEACO), helped me to structure my personal statement in a correct form. Also, Mrs Fields always supported me with the ideas I had and explained how to interpret them in the best way possible. I have written about Stellar Nucleosynthesis, as I also liked Astrophysics, and two mini Chemistry projects that I completed in the past. Additionally, the competition at the Russell Group Universities is fairly high and they like to be very official for some courses so I had an additional step in my application process which was an interview. I had to go through an interview at the Imperial College and the University of Manchester. As many young people, I had never done any Chemistry related interviews so I was extremely nervous. However, Mrs Fields organized a trial interview for me where I had a chance to prepare myself for however the interview could look like, and I also got some tips on how to handle myself in a calm and professional manner. Future Plans Becoming a Research Scientist!

“During my time in sixth form I was able to represent the school on numerous occasions and visits to other schools/universities. The freedom and control everyone was given at the sixth form improved the dynamic of the school completely. The fact that teachers, sixth form staff and students all respectfully interacted as peers, allowed for us to learn and grow as individuals, and also help run the sixth form in a way that worked best for us.” My Experience of the EPQ Up to the point of reaching the sixth form I had never completed a project like the EPQ as all of the previous qualifications that engineers need are theory based. As soon as I began my EPQ it was a self driven project, this allowed me to choose my field of aerospace engineering and go about researching and designing a working product. The theory alone that I researched due to the EPQ gave me enough understanding and knowledge to form the groundwork of my degree. With the EPQ support staff guiding me I was able to form a viable answer to the question I was asking, along with asking new questions and developing ideas. This also taught me how to criticise my work and optimise it for the problem at hand. I have now completed 8 engineering projects during my first year at university. However, I consider my first engineering project to be the EPQ, and I credit the success of my other projects to the project I did in sixth form. My Experience as a Sixth form Ambassador During my time in sixth form I was able to represent the school on numerous occasions and visits to other schools/universities. On these occasions I was able to meet other students to promote the sixth form, but also build my communication skills. I was also given the freedom to act as a role model to my peers and younger students, this meant that I could help model the standards of dress code and general conduct around the school. I was also given the guidance and opportunity to practice speaking publicly at numerous open evenings, which helped me build confidence as well as promote my subjects for the school. During my EPQ I started to experiment with 3D printing. The sixth form, while offering support, provided me with an opportunity to give back to the community using their own facilities to manufacture PPE. This equipment was later used in local care homes around Thetford, and also in the school. I think as a whole, the freedom and control everyone was given at the sixth form improved the dynamic of the school completely. The fact that teachers, sixth form staff and students all respectfully interacted as peers, allowed for us to learn and grow as individuals, and also help run the sixth form in a way that worked best for us. My Super-Curricular Experience - Trip to CERN During my trip to CERN, I was able to witness the scale of the industry I was heading towards. While the inspiration I had found during this trip was enough on its own, I was also able to have a fairly thorough discussion with one of CERNs leading engineers. This was able to push the understanding of the curriculum to another level, which later was shown in my physics class. Plans for the Future I am looking towards entering the aerospace industry as a designer of aircraft/spacecraft systems. I am also an aspiring entrepreneur and am hoping to enter the world of software engineering in the future.